Portable stove



Aug. 5, 1958 T. R. BENDA 2,845,924

i 4 PORTABLE sTovE Filed Fei. 9, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 1 T. R. BENDA PORTABLE STOVE Aug. 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1956 United States 'Patent l PORTABLE STOVE Theodore R. Benda, Mount Prospect, Ill., assignor .to Excel, Inc., Franklin Park, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 9, 1956, Serial No. 564,414

Claims. (Cl. 126-208) The present invention relates to improvements in portable heaters and more specifically to a portable heater which is adapted for use as a stool and which imparts heat to the body of the user.

-A portable heater is an important appendage to the gear required by individuals who must spend long periods of time outdoors in cold and inclement weather. For hunters, shermen, indviduals acting as spectators or engaged in various types of outdoor sports, Workmen and the like, a portable stool which will warm the body of the person sitting on it is a highly useful implement. In the use to which such an implement is put it must be ruggedly 4constructed and be capable of being handled under varied circumstances and of being situated in almost any environment such as being set on rough uneven terrain, on ground that is moist or snow covered, and be capable of withstanding being accidently tipped, ja-rred and otherwise receiving rough treatment. The heater must be such that it will not be dangerous to handle and that its heat will be kept within controllable limits so that it will not burn the user. Further, since a burner must be used for heating the implement, it must be safe so that it Will not accidently catch on tire, or set re to the clothing of the user or -to the material upon which it rests.

Since in many instances the heater will be used out of doors it must be capable of use in the wind and must operate satisfactorily in varying intensity of wind so that the burner will not be put out and yet the heat will `be kept within both a controllable and a comfortable limit so that ina high wind it will not become extremely cold and in a low wind become overheated.

In accordance with the foregoing it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved portable heater which can be used as a stool and which is safe, simple, compact and effective.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable heater which may be used as a stool and which is capable of operation in any tilted position so that it may be carried or swung from a handle and may be placed on a rough terrain or be handled in circumstances where/the container may suddenly be tilted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable heater which can be used as a stool and in which the danger of the re from thev burner within the heater causing a conliagration of the material surrounding the portable heater or the clothing of the user is greatly reduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable heater which may be used as a `stool and in which the temperature, of the stool surface can be controlled without the necessity of having to adjust the flame within the heater.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a portable heater which may be used as a stool and in which the heat is distributed evenly over the surface of the seat to prevent locations ofintense heat which might burn the posterior of the user.

2,845,924 Patented Aug. 5, 195s A further object of the invention is to provide a portable heater which may be used as a stool which has a simple handy externally operated heat control adjustable by the user from a seated position for controlling the temperature to which the seat is heated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable heater in which dual control members are provided to simultaneously control the heat produced by the burner within the heater and the temperature of the upper surface of the stool.

A further object is to provide a heater container wherein Water which accidentally gets into the container can be poured out without the danger of putting out the flame or creating a tire.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent in the following specification and claims taken in connection with the appended drawings, in which:

Figure l is a plan View of the portable heater illustrating the interior of the heater With the top of the container removed;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken along line II-II of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line III-III of Figure 4; and

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken alongline IV-IV of Figure l, and illustrating the interior of the heater in the container along a plane rotated degrees about a vertical axis from the view of Figure 2Q Y In the preferred embodiment of the inventionias illustrated in the drawings the portable heater'is shown housed in a container 10which is substantially cylindrical in form and which has rounded covers to present a strong attractive functional container.

The heater from an overall view is comprised of several ibasic elements. Within the container 10 is supported a self-contained burner 12 which supplies the heat for the operation of the portable heater. Positioned above the burner 12 and located within the container 10 is a horizontally extending circular baflie plate 14 which fills the complete area across the top of the container and isolates an air space above the bale yand beneath the at upper surface 16 of the container. The upper surface 16` is attened to form a stool and in this form the portable heater is used advantageously as a portable chair although it will be seen that it may also function as a heater for other purposes.

With reference to the structure of the container, the container is formed of two parts, a lower half 18 and an upper mating half 20. The upper half 20 carries an enlarged annular flanged portion 22 at its lower edge which telescopically slides over the top edge 24 of the lower halfrof the container and the flange 22 as at its base where it joins the body of the upper half. forms a shoulder 26 which rests on the top edge of the lower container. The lower and upper halves of the container are held together in their mating assembled position as is shown in Figure 2 by a pair of hasps 28 and 30, the hasps having one portion secured to the lower half 18 of the container and the cooperating portion secured to the upper half 20 of the container. The hasp may be of any suitable design known to the art capable of rigid-ly securing the halves together. v

The container 10 is transported by means of a handle which is preferably in the form of a bail 32 that is Apivotally connected at each side of the container top half' at the locations indicated at 34 and 36. The bail' or handle 3 3 2is sutliciently longto be pivotally folded down on the side of the container and normally will rest in that positron when the container is in use as a stool.

The burner 12 for imparting heat to the portable heater is shown in the shape of a cylindrical can 38 which may be of canned heat which is a solidilied alcohol or may be any liquid fuel of a suitable type. The cylindrical can 38 is shown in its non-operating condition with a stopper 40a in the top. When the heater is to be used the stopper 40a is removed and a llame is applied to the material in the can or to a wick which will be exposed by removal of the stopper to light the flame of the burner.

The can 38 of the self-contained burner 12 is suitably supported in a holder 40 which has a lower face portion 42 on which the cylindrical can rests and which is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed clamps 44 and 46 which'clamp down on the upper edge of the can to hold it firmly against the base 42 of the holder. The base 42 is part of a general U-shaped holder the sides of which pass up the sides of the container 38 and which terminate in lateral extensions 48 and S0 which carry the holder. The lateral extensions have upt-urned portions 52 and 54 which are pivotally secured to the opposing legs on a U-shaped support 56. The upturned portions are supported on the U-shaped support by pivot pins 53 and 55. The U-shaped support is part of the cradle which universally supports the burner within the outer metal container in order that the burner will always remain upright.

The lateral extensions 48 and 50 of the holder 40 for the can have vertical openings through which extend the pins 58 and 60. These pins are secured at their upper ends to the clamps 44 and 46 which hold the burner can 38 in place and which are provided for purposes of clamping the can firmly downwardly within the holder so it will not become accidentally displaced with jarring and rough handling. The pins carry compression springs 62 and 64 at their lower ends which pull the clamp down by pushing against the heads 57 and S9 of the pins and seating against the lateral extensions 48 and 50.

The U-shaped support S6 which pivotally carries the can holder 40 is welded at its base to the bight of an arcuate band 66 which curves downwardly from the side walls of the lower half of the container. The arcuate band 66 in cooperation with the U-shaped support 56 carries the can holder 40 therein to form a cradle or a universal support which will always insure that the can containing the burner fluid will always remain upright no matter what the position of the outer container 10. For this purpose the arcuate band is connected to the sides of the container so as to be freely pivotal about a horizontal axis which is at right angles to the axis at which the holder 40 is supported on the pins S3 and 55. The pivotal supports for the arcuate bands 66 are shown in Figure 4 at 68 and 70. The supports comprise bolts 72 and 74 as is shown in Figure 4 with elongated knurled cylindrical nuts 76 and 78 threaded onto the bolts. The nuts have an inner cylindrical reduced portion which freely projects into the larger holes in the sides of the container to be free for pivotal rotation therein. The knurled heads of the nuts are slightly larger than the holes. The base of the nuts 76 and 78 and the heads of the bolts clamp the U-shaped band firmly between them, the combination forming a pintle about which the U-shaped band pivots.

Thus the support which holds the arcuate band 66 permits it to pivot about a horizontal axis. The U-shaped support which carries the can holder 40 within the arcuate band permits the can to be swung about a horizontal axis which is spaced v90 degrees from the axis of the arcuate band, completing a universal support for the can. The important feature of the support is that the holder 40 must be so constructed that the center of gravity of the container or can 38 is beneath the pivotal axis of the pivotal supports for the arcuate band 66`and for the holder so that it will always automatically remain in an upright position. The greater the distance between the center of gravity and the pivotal supports the more quickly will the can 38 react to the container being tipped. Since the *burner can will become lighter as the fuel is consumed, it is important that the pivotal supports be such to give minimum friction to insure free movement of the universal support.

It will thus be apparent that no matter what the position of the container whether it be tilted slightly or even 11p-ended the burner 12 will always remain in an upright position, thus completely avoiding the chance of inadvertently starting an uncontrollable conflagration due to spilling fuel. This is important since the device is to be used as a stool and a lire would be hazardous to the user. Since the device may be used in such surroundings as dry marshy areas when used by hunters or fishermen the safety and avoidance of an accidental lire is of prime importance. l

The heat from the burner 12 passes upwardly into the upper portion of the container where it heats the bathe 14. Since the heat is concentrated at the center of the burner 12 there will be a hot spot at the center portion of the baille 14. Since there is a buffer air space 80 between the baille plate 14 and the llat upper top 16 of the container this air space will distribute the heat which radiates upwardly and the baille will prevent the creation of hot spo-ts on the llat seat 16 which might burn the user. The baille 14 is circular in form and extends for the complete area within the upper end 20 of the container 10. The support or mounting for the baille 14 which permits it to be rotated about a vertical axis will be later explained.

A method is provided for controlling the temperature of the air within the butter space 80 beneath the seat to thus control the temperature of the seat regardless of the amount of heat that is radiated upwardly from the baille 14. This temperature control is achieved by mixing external air in controllable amounts with the warm air in the buffer zone which is accomplished by a series of elongated slots 82, 84, 86 and 88 as 'is illustrated in Figure 2. The elongated slots are placed in the upper wall of the upper part 20 ofthe container and are located between the baille 14 and the top 16 of the container. The slots admit ambient air into the space 80 between the baille 14 and the seat 16 to cool the air in the event the seat becomes too warm. The amount of ambient air admitted into the space is controlled by valves or shutters shown at 90, 92, 94 and 96 in Figure 2 which control the effective size of the slots leading into the buifer air space. In Figure 4 only the slots and the shutters which are also shown in Figure 2 are numbered although all the slots and shutters are substantially identical. The shutters 90, 92, 94 and 96 are part of an annular ring 98 which encircles the circular baille plate 14 and which is attached to the baille plate. The shutters are formed by cutting square notches in the annular ring leaving the battles extending upwardly between the notches.

Similar shutters or valves extend downwardly from the annular ring 98 below the baille plate and these shutters are shown in Figure 2 at 100, 102, 104 and 106. In Figure 4 only the shutters 104 and 106 which are also numbered in Figure 2 are numbered. These lower shutters are used to control the size of the enlongated slots shown at 108, and 112 which are also cut in the upper portion 20 of the container below the first group of slots and positioned just below the horizontal baille plate 14. The horizontal extending elongated slots 108, 110 and 112 control the amount of air that passes out of the container or the draft to the burner 12 which thereby controls the burning rate of the burner. By shitting the shutters so that they move over the holes the amount of air escaping from the container is reduced and the rate ot burning in the burner 12 is reduced. The draft air which supplies air to the burner is furnished 5 by slots shown at 114, 116 and 118 which are cut in the lower part 18 of the container. These slots admit air which passes upwardly to feed the flame of Ythe burner 12 and the amount admitted is controlled by the openings of the upper slots 108, 110 and 112.

It is to be noted that the lower draft slots 114, 116 and 118 are raised a distance above the oor 120 of the container thus making it possible to set the container down in locations ,where water is present such as might be the case in a bog or a swamp without the water running into the draft holes. If some moisture accidently does get into the container limited amounts of moisture will still not reduce the effectiveness of the operation of the heater since the burner 12 in its universal support is mounted a distance above the oor 120 of the container and thus water will not affect its operation. Even an extreme amount of water in the lcontainer can be poured out of the container simply by turning it on its side to where the water runs out of the draft holes. Since the burner is universally mounted it will remain upright and the llame will not be put out nor will the fuel in the burner can 38 be spilled or dumped.

For controlling the position of the shutters both above and below the bae 14 the baie is rotated to pivot about a centrally loacted vertical axis. For this purpose a number of manually operable knobs are secured to the annular ring 98 to project outwardly through the lower slots so that they can be grasped to rotate the baille member 14. As is shown in Figure 3 the knobs 122, 124 and 126 are provided projecting from the container for adjustably setting the bailles and being in a convenient position where the way be grasped by the user as he sits on the stool.

' The position of the knobs and of the baiiies are shown in Figure 3 as in the open position. However, by grasping the knobs and rotating the baies in a counterclockwise direction as shown in Figure 3 the bafes will be slid to the partially closed position in accordance with how far the knobs are pushed.

rIhe knobs are secured to the annular rim 98 by being connected to the ends of the lower bailles such as is shown by the end 130 in the baflie 102. The end 130 contains a hole through which a bolt 132 in the base ofthe bae extends to receive a nut 134 to secure the adjusting knob 122 to the baiiie. Nut 134 maybe a speed nut to increase the speed of assembly. Each of the other knobs 124 and 128 are secured in a like manner.

Thus it will be seen that if the seat 16 gets too cool, the slotted openings 84, 86 and 88 extending around the container and located above the baille are closed by rotating the shutters. Upon rotating the shutters and closing the slots, less outside air will be admitted beneath the seat or in other words less heat will be lost and the temperature ,of the seat will be raised. In high winds or cooler weather the slots can be opened farther to maintain the proper temperature. In the shutter closing action, since more heat is retained the temperature of the burner can be reduced. In order to automatically effect this, the lower slots which `control the draft to the burner are automatically closed in proportion to the amount of closure of the upper slots. Thus if the upper slots are almost closed so that much of the heat is retained the draft to the burner will be cut down to substantially reduce the burner ame.

It will be apparent from the drawing that various arrangements and various relationships between the closing of the upper and lower slots can be obtained merely by changing the positioning between the upper shutters and the lower shutters. If desired for example, an inverse arrangement can be obtained by positioning the lower shutters so that the slots beneath the baille will be opened as the slots above the bafles are closed. This of course will increase the draft and intensity of the llame at the same time as the upper shutters are closed and the amount of heat lost above the bathe plate is' reduced and thus the arrangement will increase the speed of response when more heat is called for.

The present arrangement however is selfcompensating since on a very windy day a considerable amount of heat can be lost by rapid passage of air through the slot above the bathe. This will make it'desirable to close the slots above the batlles and the shutters will be moved to partially close the slots. Also on a windy day the amount of draft passing through the lower slots will be greatly increased and therefore it would be desirable to cut down this draft. This will have been automatically accomplished by the closing of the upper slots since the bafes are arranged, as shown in the drawing, to close the lower slots with the closing of the upper slots.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an improved portable heater that meets the objectives and has the advantages hereinbefore set forth. The portable heater may be used on uneven or wet terrain and in many outdoor environments in which heaters of the type heretofore available would not be capable of being operated or would not be safe for operation. In the present heater no matter how much the heater is tilted the burner will remain upright thereby al1 but eliminating the danger of accidental tires and permitting the burner to keep operating in various tilted positions of the container.

The container has a simple positive heat control which functions to selectively adjust the amount of heat and the heat is distributed evenly to the stool surface upon which the user rests. The bale plate beneath the seat will distribute the heat preventing the user from being accidently burned. r

It will be apparent that the device may be used for drying clothes by merely laying the garment over the top of the iat seat. 'Ihe container or housing for the heater is made of steel and as such will become warm during operation radiating heat to the surrounding air. For use in a closed room or a closed building the radiated heat will serve to heat the surrounding air as will the heat that escapes out through the slots located above the baille. Therefore if the heater is to be used as a combination stool and room heater, the baies will be adjusted so that the openings are in their full open position. This will reduce the heat of the seat so that it can be used as a stool. This will also increase to a maximum the operation of the burner thereby increasing its heating effect to the room. The heat lost through the upper slots will not be Wasted but will be carried by convection currents into the air of the room.

The device is sturdy and is simply assembled and packed and can be readily'transported. The construction is such so that minor dents or damages will not effect the operation of the mechanism and it is well suited to a considerable number of uses.

`I have, in the drawings and specification, presented a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed but intend to cover all modifications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling within the scope of the principles taught by my invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. A portable heater comprising a shaped metal container with a hollow interior and having a flat top to act as a stool surface, a support mounted within the container for holding a self-contained burner to heat said stool, said support comprising a universal support for the burner portion to deine an air chamber between the-top ofthe air `chamber toadmitambient air to be mixed with the heated, air rising-from. the baille, andi aircontrol means operativelyassociated with said air openings to control the amount of ambient air admitted; into said chambery to thereby control the temperature at which saidz seatis kept.,

2. A portable heater comprising, a container-for enclosing a self-contained heating means, a first support member attached to 'said containerandfadapted to pivot about a horizontal axis, a second support member pivoted tothe first support member onan axis extending across the first axis, means on the second support member for removably securing a replaceableburner with its center of gravity below said `axis whereby the burner will remain upright Whenthel container is tiltedp thecenter of gravity of the secondsupport member being ldisposedbelow said axis whereby the first and `second'support members will remain upright when the burner is removed, afbale extending. laterally across the top half of the container deningan air space between the baille and thetop of' the container which is insulated from the lame'by the baille, openings in the wall of the container positioned above the baille to admit ambient air into said air space, a shutter positionedwithin the container and adapted to be moved over a portion of said air openings to control the degree to which said-openings will admit air to said air space from outside the container, and holes in theside vwalls of the container spaced above the bottom of the container and below the llame of the burner whereby water and fluids inthe bottom of the container can be poured through theair holes by tilting the container without inverting the burner..

3. A portable-heater comprising.acylindrically shaped container formed in two parts which may beV joined together :in cooperativerelationship with the upper part having a top to form a seat or the like, means for holdingsaid two parts together, a support for a self-contained burner connected in the lower portion of said container, Ist openings in the container to permit heated air to escape, a baille positioned above said first openings and spaced below said top v-to distribute heat to the air space between the baille and container top, second openings in thewalls of the containerpositioned above the baille to admit ambient air'to the air space deilned between the baille and the top of the container to thereby change the temperature of the air space and to change the temperatureon the top of the container lirst cover means adapted to cover a portion of said tirst openings, second cover means adapted to cover a portion of said second openings, and operating means connected to both of said cover means for operating said cover means whereby heat is permitted to escape from the rst openings and permit cool airto enter the space above the baille through the? second openings.

4. A portable heater comprising-a shaped container; havinga cylindrical upper end, a. holder attached within:

1 the lowerportion of the containerforfsupporting a selfcontained burner, a movable baffle plate positioned for rotation about avertical axis and located in the cylindrical upper. end of the container, a rst set of vholes positioned below the baille topermit air to enter and leave below-the baille, al second set of holes positioned `above the baille, means to control the amount ofair passingA into the air space between the baille andv the top of thecontainer to thereby control the temperature at the topV of the container, affirst lower set of shutters secured to the: battle and projecting downwardly in proximity to thev lirst set of holes, a second set of shutters projecting upwardly from the ballein proximity to said second. set of holes, and means projectingexternallyv from Ithe con,- tainer for rotating the baille to move said first and secondset of shutters relative to sad holes to control the amount of air passing through said holes.

5. In a portableheater, a shaped hollow metal cabinet for a burner, a support in the base of the cabinet for supporting the burner, a baille extending horizontally across the upper vportion of the cabinet to define an air space Vbetween the-baille and the topofthe cabinet, means forming air holes positioned above the baille in the cabinet to permit the escape of heat from said air space, means forming air holes beneath the baille to control the draft to therself-contained burner, and shutters positioned over the air holes and adjustably movable relative thereto thereby controlling. the opening of said air holes, .said shutters being simultaneously adjustable to simultaneouslyv vary the openings above the baille and the openings below the baille.

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